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Turkey warns Assad against ruling through violence

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) on Monday warned Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad against holding on to power through violence. "You can remain in power with tanks and cannons only up to a certain point," Erdogan said.

AFP - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday that his days as leader were numbered and he cannot remain in power indefinitely through military force.

After reports that two buses carrying Turkish pilgrims came under attack in Syria, Erdogan said his one-time ally's defiant refusal to end a bloody crackdown on protesters had increased the prospects of foreign intervention.

"You can remain in power with tanks and cannons only up to a certain point. The day will come when you'll also leave," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul.

"Someone shows up and says 'I'll fight and die. Against whom will you fight? Will you fight against your Muslim brothers you rule in your country?" said Erdogan.

The prime minister was referring to an interview with Assad published in London's Sunday Times in which the Syrian leader vowed to fight and die for if faced with foreign intervention.

"Why do you open the way for an outside interference?" asked Erdogan. "Why don't you handle your own problem within yourself, without opening the way for any outside interference?"

Erdogan also denounced the use of military force "against those in Syria who demand a decent life".

Turkey has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of Assad's bloody crackdown on protests against his regime and the tensions will not have been helped by the reports of the attack on the busloads of pilgrims